Vikings in Paris

1. Vikings in Paris • but first a reminder of where we left them

2. After Lindisfarne numerous attacks in British Isles and Ireland • Began to colonize off coast of Scotland • Next turned attention southward • Looking not at Christian Churches • But at trading posts • like Dorestad on the Rhine

3. 834. A fleet of Danes came to Frisa • laid waste to part of it. • On through Utrecht to Dorestad • Slaughtered some took others away, and burned surrounding region. • Annals of St. Bertin • Why such a time lag? • 1st ~ 793 • Dorestad 834

4. Charlemagne and Frankia • Charlemagne's vast empire of Frankia • Modern day – France, West Germany, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, and Italy • Dominated Europe • Culminating with his crowning as the 1st Holy roman emperor on Christmas day in 800

5. Although unwieldy • Charlemagne constantly fighting to defend or hold together the empire • Charlemagne set up a series of watches and guards along the “northern sea” • These along with naval flotillas were able to guard against, and prevent, large scale Viking raiding

6. Upon death in 814 succeeded by • Louis the Pious • As committed to the cause as his father • But, did not have the same forceful character • Civil wars began to break out • And the Vikings with a nose for opportunity moved in

7. First probed Seine in 820 • Then settled back to closer targets • Utrecht and Dorestad in 834 • Expanding to Antwerp in 836 • southern Britain at around the same time • And the trading post of

8. 840 Louis the Pious died leaving the empire to his three sons • Louis the German in the east • Charles the Bald in the west • Lothar in the centre and Italy • With division, internal conflicts and pressure from external raiders the empire began to collapse

9. 842 – Vikings back on the Loire with a fleet of 67 ships • Rumored to have been aided by a rebel Count – Lambert – who wanted Nantes for himself • Lambert’s pilots guided the Viking fleet down the Loire River • On June 24th during the celebration of St John’s day they struck • Rebel Count stepped in and assumed power over shattered town

10. Death of Louis the Pious turned Frankia into a Viking hunting ground • Also taught Vikings that activity could be a full time commitment • After attack on Nantes • Vikings wintered at Noirmoutier rather than return home

11. 841 – Rouen on the Seine • 842 – the trade city of Quentovis • Near modern day Boulogne • 845 – Hamburg • 845 Viking, Ragnar, entered Seine with 120 ships • Charles the Bald attempted to repulse

12. Deployed army on either side of river • Crossfire backfired • Rangar assessed which was the weaker of two banks • Attacked quickly defeated one bank • Hung 111 captives in view of opposing bank • Crippled morale and ripped the heart out of resistance

13. Easter Sunday 845 he pounced on Paris • Sacked the city • Demanded and received 7,000 pounds of Silver from Charles the Bald to leave • Bought Charles 6 years of peace to deal with internal enemies • Set precedent that other Vikings would follow • By middle of the ninth century whole of Frankish Empire in a state of calamity • Monk of Noirmoutier wrote

14. “The number of ships increases, the endless flood of Vikings never ceases to grow. Everywhere Christ’s people are the victims of massacre, burning, and plunder, clear proof of which will remain as long as the world itself endures. The Vikings overrun all that lies before them, and none can withstand them. They sieze the cities of Bordeux, Périgueux, Limoges, Angoulême, Toulouse; Angers, Tours, and Orléans are made deserts; the ashes of many a saint are counted away . . . Ships past counting voyage up the Seine, and throughout the entire region evil grows strong”

15. Now recognized that Vikings became settlers and traders • Advance art and technology throughout Europe • Must not lose sight of fact that they were also savage and destructive also • Although a time of brutality • Actions in Franikia considerably more brutal and murderous than most.

16. Gradually raids became more organized and ambitious • Example Bjorn Ironside and fellow commander Haestin • Began in 857 with attack upon Paris • What one historian described as a “holocaust” • City almost totally destroyed • Only 4 buildings still standing

17. Ease and success led to other thoughts. • If they could sack greatest city in Northern Europe • why not sack the greatest city in the world • Rome • Bjorn and Haestin sailed from Paris on trail of havoc and destruction around coasts of Europe to the Mediterranean

18. Initially easy pickings round the coast of Brittany and into the Bay of Biscay • When they reached the shores of Moorish Spain their ships were laden with prisoners, gold and silver • Lost two ships in an attempted attack on Spain then pressed on through the Straits of Gibraltar • Sacked Algeciras before crossing to Africa • Took Africans as prisoners • Who ended up shivering as slaves in Ireland • Before shifting back to the coasts of Spain and France

19. Here they raided the Balerics, Narbonne and the Camargue • They continued east to Italy • May have sacked Pisa • Then attacked and raided Luna • Between Pisa and Genoa • Suggestions that they may have got as far east as Alexandria in Egypt

20. Eventually they turned around and headed back • Attacked in the Straits of Gibraltar by Moors • Heavy losses, eventually broke through and headed back up the Atlantic coast • Stopping of in Navarre, to head inland and capture Pamplona, ransoming the Prince for a “Huge sum”

21. 862, 5 years after leaving, the Vikings returned safely to the mouth of the Loire river • Only 20 of the original 62 ships returned • This was both: • A spectacular and heroic voyage whose fame would not be forgotten • A preposterous exercise in piracy that brought untold misery

22. Back in England • Sporadic attacks continued for several years • 850 a change in tactics • A group of Vikings (Danes) rather than attack and disappear stayed in England • Wintering on the Isle of Thanent off the coast of Kent • Over the next decade or so the Vikings worked their way up the East coast of England

23. Led initially by Ivor the Boneless and Halfden • They fought, bribed and tricked their way north to Northumbria • Fall 866 they took York • capital of Northumbria • Another shift in policy • Moved from setting up winter camps to taking over a large city – and staying • Appointed a puppet King and with their rear safe headed south

24. Vikings attacked and claimed land throughout England • Making vassals of several regions • 871 shocked by a counter attack under Alfred of Wessex • Although not able to defeat the Vikings Alfred was able to force a negotiated truce • In 877 the Vikings, under Grunthum, broke the truce and attacked Wessex once more

25. Alfred pushed back and harried constantly • Easter 878 looked as though the Vikings would expand their new English colony • Alfred managed to launch a successful counter-attack • Gunthrum forced into an unconditional surrender • received Christian baptism as part of the price of peace • Gunthrum honored the treaty and moved back into East Anglia • Setting up dual control of England

26. Alfred in control of the South and West • Vikings remained in control of the North and East • This situation would remain in place for many years • Untill Canute was able to expand Viking terriotory and become de facto King of England • A situation which remained until the arrival of William the Conquerer

27. However the influence of the Viking remained in many ways on English culture from this point forward • One example can be seen in events still taking place to this day on the Isle of Man • Small island of the British Coast

28. The East • Consolidation in Sweden led to expansion • Across Baltic • Latvia • Divna – Dnieper Rivers • Forced out • “we seek a prince to rule over us and judge us according to the law” • Novgorod – Rusland • Intermarige – Russians • AD 839 reached Constantinople

29. Crescent and the Cross

30. Between fall of Rome and early crusades • Mediterranean was relatively free of piracy • Crusades lent impetus to a new trade • Re-enter the pirates • Pirates across North African coast took advantage of this new trade

31. Terminology • “Barbary coast” & “Barbary Pirates” • Originally coined c.1500 • Not often used • Reintroduced at a later period • at the time Europeans used • Moors • Turks • Occasionally Africans

32. Initial pirates although Islamic • Driven by the usual motivation of pirates • Greed and profit • But as well as enriching themselves • They also struck a blow against Christianity for Islam

33. Muslim states traditionally not overly interested in the sea • Advanced where their armies could march • General who had conquered Egypt referred to the sea as • “a huge beast which silly folk rode like worms on logs”

34. Pirates fleets began to grow in size attracting support and money • Also began to make arrangements with rulers of states of North Africa • Algiers • Morocco • Tripoli • Tunis • Rulers began to make profit but also gained prestige within the Muslim world • The rulers supported pirates for many years

35. No single power Christian or Muslim had ability (or committed desire) to suppress the pirates • Islamic pirates attacked Christian ships with support of Muslim leaders • Christian Pirates attacked Islamic ships with the support of Christian leaders

36. 1504 a Muslim pirate attacked and captured a papal war galleys • The two galley were lapse in their security • Allowed themselves to become separated • When a small ship approached the lead galley the leader did not worry until to late • The ship approached fast and easily took the ship • Dressing in the captives clothes and forcing prisoners below decks they approached and took the second ship

37. Pirate released Muslim slaves who worked the oars on the papal ships • Returned to Tunis a hero • This Pirate was • Arouj Barbarossa • One of two Barbarossa brothers • Barbarossa = Red Beard

38. Barbarossa brothers were the son of a Greek potter • They were born Christian and later converted to Islam • Arouj joined the Turkish pirates • Gradually gained respect and power • Persuaded his crew to break free of masters in Constantinople • Headed out as an independent crew

39. Actions against the Papal vessels gained him prestige • The leader of Tunis became an alley offering a safe port and market • Ferdinand of Spain assumed as his Christian duty the responsibility of suppressing the Barbary Pirates • 1509-10 Spanish occupied an island that dominated Algiers harbor • After the main force had departed Arouj began to retake the region

40. After a war of constant attrition • During which Arouj lost an arm • His forces grew to include and extensive fleet and 5000 land troops • Eventually invited by King of Algiers to attack and destroy Spanish on island • Arouj had bigger plans, strangled king and took control • Harsh leader – local population invited Spanish to help remove him

41. Eventually Spaniards cornered and killed Arouj Death greeted with great joy by the Christian world Motivated his brother Kheyer-ed-din Who had been the leader of his brothers fleet To take revenge on the Christian world A revenge that shocked and shifted the balance of power in the Mediterranean and beyond

42. Suleiman the Magnificent leader of the Muslim world Had defeated a Christian force on Rhodes Removing the Christian presence in the region Disappointed in his fleet looks for help Kheyr-ed-din Barabrosa at this time inherited brothers troops and kingdom that had rebelled Appealed to Suleiman

43. In return for Kheyr-ed-din’s fealty • Suleiman loaned crack troops • Appointed him Governor of the region • Kheyer-ed-din regained his brother’s kingdom town by town • Suleiman invited Kheyr-ed-din to oversea the rebuilding of his fleet • He sailed with the fleet and began to attack Europe attacking several locations in Italy

44. Took large numbers of prisoners and goods • Then turned his attention to the Spanish dependency of Tunis in Africa • After several victories he turned his attention to the Island out side the harbor of Algiers • After a seventeen day siege the Spanish were defeated • He razed the fort and constructed a mole to connect the island to the main land

45. In response Charles V Spain sent Christian pirate Andrea Doris to attack Tunis Charles V was hailed as a hero after a successful attack by Doris 1538 the fleets of Crescent and Cross met in the Adriatic The Christian fleet was routed by Kheyr-ed-din and his Muslim fleet

46. 1541 Charles V attempted to regain prestige and power by sending out another fleet • A fleet of 500 ships left • Dorea warned that they were leaving at a bad time of year • But Charles waved aside his concerns • A storm decimated the fleet • 300 officers and 8000 men were killed • So many slaves were taken that the price dipped to a degree that it was said that a Christian slave was “not worth an onion”

47. Disaster weakened Charles’ grip over Europe Independence campaigns began 1543 Francis I of France concluded a treaty with Suleiman for help against Spain Suleiman sent Kheyr-ed-din to support Francis

48. In Marseilles the flag of Our Lady was replaced with the Crescent • Kheyr-ed-din spent time in Marseilles but conducted no campaigns against Spain • Eventually dismissed • Kheyr-ed-din died a few years later • After his death he was placed in a sepulcher • His corpse reappeared several times • Eventually a Greek magician advised he be buried with a black dog • After this time the Kheyr-ed-din was at peace

49. Dragut became commander-in-chief of the Turkish fleet Dragut was born a peasant and Muslim Ran away from home and took to the sea Proved to be a successful sailor and rose through the ranks

50. Known as the “drawn sword of Islam” • Dragut worked his way along North Africa • Attacking everywhere in Spanish hands • Before tuning his attention to the strong hold of Malta • Malta was held by the Knights of Malta • In effect the Christian counterpart of the Barbary Pirates